QT Reset Clock

[puffy127]

We've all heard that if you add new fish to existing fish in a QT the clock starts over for the existing fish in QT.

Assuming only for ich and velvet: why would the clock reset if the tank was at therapeutic copper? Any new fish that come in would have trophonts drop off, which would not infect the existing fish. Then they would form tomonts then hatch as theronts, which would get killed by the copper. These would not affect the trophont dropoff time for the existing fish.

You would need to ramp up the copper for the new fish separately, though.

Granted, this may be moot due to brook/uronema/flukes. But depending on their lifecycle, I wonder if metro provides a similar shielding effect like copper.

 

[EmdeReef]

You want to maintain therapeutic copper for the duration of ich lifecycle which takes anywhere from 3-12 days and in some cases loner.

Copper is only effective against the free swimming stage and and so if you add a new fish you need to wait out another cycle to be safe. If you remove copper before that happens you’ll likely just reinfect all the fish.

 

[puffy127]

I should have added, assuming fish treated with therapeutic copper for 14 days then moved to a sterile tank afterwards. What I'm saying is that the addition of new fish to should not affect the timeframe of theronts dropping off the existing fish, correct? Because there would be no way for the existing fish to be (re)infected with ich/velvet.

 

[Liron Mishal]

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/adding-fish-to-qt-during-treatment.552644/

 

[puffy127]

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/adding-fish-to-qt-during-treatment.552644/

Thanks! Same exact question.

 

[EmdeReef]

You are resetting the clock because of the new fish which may be infected not old fish. By adding a new fish you may have introduced another strain of ich into your tank and then you have to wait for that cycle to complete...

 

[puffy127]

Correct, but the old fish cannot get infected by the new fish. Trophonts from the new fish do not infect other fish. They go to form tomonts, which then eventually release theronts, which also will not infect other fish because they will get killed by copper.

 

[EmdeReef]

Correct, but the old fish cannot get infected by the new fish. Trophonts from the new fish do not infect other fish. They go to form tomonts, which then eventually release theronts, which also will not infect other fish because they will get killed by copper.

As I said above if you remove copper before the cycle of the new strains completes then the fish can get infected again. That’s why the clock resets.

 

[puffy127]

Not removing copper. I'm asking about moving fish who have been through 14 days therapeutic copper to sterile tank even if new fish have been added within those 14 days (i.e. not resetting the clock on those old fish when the new fish get added). Anyhow, the other thread confirmed this would theoretically work based on ich/velvet lifcycle.

 

[dealseer]

As I said above if you remove copper before the cycle of the new strains completes then the fish can get infected again. That’s why the clock resets.

Who said copper was being removed?

 

[EmdeReef]

Not removing copper. I'm asking about moving fish who have been through 14 days therapeutic copper to sterile tank even if new fish have been added within those 14 days (i.e. not resetting the clock on those old fish when the new fish get added). Anyhow, the other thread confirmed this would theoretically work based on ich/velvet lifcycle.

You don’t mention moving to a sterile tank after 14 days in your initial post. What you are suggesting originally introduces a hefty margin of error. In any event sounds like you got the answer you were looking for so no point in debating further. Good luck!

 

[puffy127]

I mentioned moving the treated fish to a sterile tank 14 days later in the 3rd post. I'm not going to do it (due to other possible diseases), I was just curious based off the ich/velvet lifecycle.

Please explain the hefty margin of error.

 

[Biglurr54]

I agree with you puffy. In theroy, if a fish is in therapeutic copper and then transferred to a sterile tank after 14 days, it shouldn't matter if or when new fish are added to the copper qt because the original fish is protected by the copper and the transfer to a sterile tank.

I have asked this before and told by the greats on this forum not Todo that and the clock resets when a new fish is added. I trust them and owe my success to them so that's what I do.